How the Hogan-Cajuste TD happened — ‘like God put it there’

Pasadena – Stanford was nursing a 14-10 lead Friday when Kevin Hogan launched a pass toward Devon Cajuste in the end zone. The quarterback didn’t see what happened there because he was knocked to the ground.

The 6-foot-4 Cajuste was covered by UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, while defensive back Tahaan Goodman rushed to help out.

“I remember the ball coming out of the air like God put it there,’’ said Cajuste, who grabbed it for a 37-yard touchdown that gave Stanford a 21-0 lead going into halftime.

The play was designed to be a pass to Francis Owusu, but Hogan switched targets and threw it accurately. “When I slowed down, I think Myles probably thought the ball isn’t coming in this direction,’’ Cajuste said. “It caught him off guard. We both relaxed at the end of the play.’’

It was Cajuste’s first touchdown catch since he had three against Army in the third game of the season.

He credited Hogan’s superb game to the quarterback being relaxed. “I think he found a love for the game even more than he already (had). … He played so relaxed and so confident. Every pass was right there.’’

Hogan became the first Stanford quarterback to beat UCLA four times, including twice in 2012. “It’s been a tough year,’’ he said. “We wanted to finish strong. We’ve had a lot of close ones. We knew this game meant a lot to them, but we wanted to get a win for our seniors and our team.’’

Trickery backfires: Things were getting so desperate for UCLA that the Bruins tried a fake field goal. That didn’t work either. Holder Jerry Neuheisel tried to connect with Nate Iese, but the lob was picked off by safety Jordan Richards, his fourth interception against UCLA in the last three years.

Replay delays TD: Kelsey Young was deprived of a 4-yard touchdown when a UCLA challenge was upheld on an replay review. He was ruled to have been stopped short of the goal line. It didn’t matter. His run gave Stanford a first down, and Remound Wright immediately scored on a 1-yard plunge.

Briefly: Stanford didn’t commit a turnover for the first time in 17 games. … The Cardinal had four scoring drives of at least 75 yards for the first time since a 54-48 win over Arizona in 2012.